And Gum responded ferociously after he was flagged for a late
hit in the Little Giants’ 38-20 first-round playoff victory
over Illinois College. He blew up one run in the backfield, stuffed
another at the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble after chasing
down a receiver on successive plays.

Gum doesn’t limit his big hits to ballcarriers, later
accelerating to knock an offensive lineman on his butt. As the
Wabash sideline exploded in cheers, he responded by pulling down
his right hand through the brisk air like a conductor sounding a
train whistle.

“The ‘Pain Train’ is something we joke
about,” said Gum, who sported large swaths of eye black, a
buzzed Mohawk and tribal tattoo on his right bicep. “It just
has to do with being physical. We take pride in going out there and
hitting people.”

There will be plenty of hitting Saturday when Wabash (11-0, 6-0
NCAC) hosts North Central (10-1, 7-1 CCIW) in a second-round battle
of conference champions. The Little Giants are limiting opponents
to 10.9 points and the Cardinals have allowed 11.1 points per game.
Both shut down offenses averaging more than 40 points in the first
round, with North Central routing Dubuque 59-13.

The North Central defense has rebounded after giving up 35
points in a season-opening loss to Redlands, allowing only 34
combined points in seven conference games. Head coach John Thorne
said the team values its three shutouts, blocking a field goal
against a winless North Park team to preserve the feat.

“It’s really, really fun for defensive guys when at
the end of the game you can look up there and see an extremely low
score or a big zero,” Thorne said. “They have to stay
focused every single play because it only takes one play. You
make one little mistake, and there can be a score.”

Wabash could be susceptible to mistakes with only three senior
starters, but Gum fills an important leadership role — he
fittingly stands on the bench during offensive possessions,
allowing his teammates to look up to him. The two-time NCAC
defensive player of the year directs on-field traffic before the
snap, but often takes matters into his own hands. His team-leading
77 tackles are typically bone-crunching affairs.

Scout’s take

Wheaton head coach Mike Swider
knows good defenses.

He sent two defensive players to
the NFL, plays North Central annually and has regular preseason
scrimmages against Wabash. Because the Thunder have lost to Mt.
Union six times in the playoffs, it’s high praise for Swider
to suggest North Central’s defense is nearing the Purple
Power:

“They’ve got depth and
they’ve got speed. Every single kid on the team can run.
… Here’s the biggest thing that you’ve got to
do. You cannot get penalized, because once you get in long yardage,
it’s over. So you’ve got to be good on first down, and
that’s the critical, critical down. Once they get you in any
bad situation, they just overwhelm you. … Those three
defensive linemen — (Valente) Garza, (Willie) Hayes and
(Peter) Bulandr — they’re fast, they get up field.
They’ve got depth. They’re all good, and they all can
run. They play with an edge. … They’ve got a good shot
[in the playoffs]. When you can play defense and special teams,
you’ve got a shot to beat anybody. And that’s what they
do. … In our conference, they’ve dominated this year
like few have ever dominated.”

“We’re playing fast and hitting people,” said
Wabash defensive coordinator BJ Hammer, a former Little Giant
defensive lineman himself. “I’ll never tell our guys to
slow down, but of course we say to play smart.”

North Central boasts speed at every defensive position,
substituting liberally to keep players fresh and aggressive when
they re-enter the game. Eight players have at least two
interceptions and four players have at least 5.5 sacks on a unit
that doesn’t rely on a star player. Seven starters were named
to the all-CCIW first team — including senior defensive
tackle Peter Bulandr, the conference’s defensive player of
the year and a Gagliardi Trophy finalist — and two made the
second team.

“Last year it was easy to gameplan against us because
there was one standout player, [linebacker] Matt Wenger, who was
our Superman,” Bulandr said. “Our defense now has 11
Supermen. It’s impossible to gameplan for all 11 of
us.”

Both teams realize winning the battles of field position,
penalties and turnovers will become even more important in
Saturday’s game, where the wind might play a factor.

If points are at a premium, it wouldn’t be surprising if
the outcome swings on a return touchdown. The Little Giants have
blocked eight kicks, returning two punts for touchdowns, and senior
wide receiver Wes Chamblee has scored on three punts and one
kickoff. North Central tied the Division III record by scoring on
six interception returns.

“That’s the beauty of playing defense,”
Bulandr said. “We have the ability to score and to prevent
the other team from scoring. We love knowing that we control our
own destiny.”